Weather

Welcome rains develop on much of the Plains

Across the Corn Belt, rain has developed in some areas west of the Mississippi River, mainly across Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Meanwhile, dry weather in the eastern Corn Belt favors summer crop maturation and harvesting, as well as winter wheat planting. On September 26, Midwestern soft red winter wheat planting ranged from 1% complete in Missouri to 17% complete in Michigan.

On the Plains, lingering warmth is confined to parts of Oklahoma and Texas. Meanwhile, some of the region’s coolest weather prevails on the central High Plains, where Thursday’s high temperatures will remain mostly below 65°F. Elsewhere, significant rain is falling early Thursday in parts of Kansas, Nebraska, and portions of neighboring states. The rain is replenishing topsoil moisture and improving prospects for winter wheat germination and establishment.

In the South, rain in the Mississippi Delta is curtailing harvest activities that have already been delayed by slower-than-normal crop maturation. On September 26, the cotton harvest was at least 10 percentage points behind the 5-year average pace in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, while the rice harvest was more than 10 percentage points behind schedule in Arkansas and Missouri.

In the West, Freeze Warnings were in effect again Thursday in a few areas, including portions of Idaho’s Snake River Plain. However, warmth is returning across the Far West, including much of California, where a locally elevated wildfire threat exists. Meanwhile, precipitation is confined to western Washington and portions of the Southwest. In New Mexico, rain could become heavy enough later today to cause local flooding.